Human Factors, Simulation and Performance Assessment

Ongoing advances in lower-cost technologies are supporting a substantive growth worldwide in the use of simulation and naturalistic performance assessment methods for research, training and operational purposes in domains such as road, rail, aviation, mining and healthcare. However, this has not been accompanied by a similar growth in the expertise required to develop and use such systems for evaluating human performance. Whether for research or practitioner purposes, many of the challenges in assessing operator performance, both using simulation and in natural environments, are common. What performance measures should be used, what technology can support the collection of these measures across the different designs, how can other methods and performance measures be integrated to complement objective data, how should behaviours be coded and the performance standards measured and defined? How can these approaches be used to support product development and training, and how can performance within these complex systems be validated? This series addresses a shortfall in knowledge and expertise by providing a unique and dedicated forum for researchers and experienced users of simulation and field-based assessment methods to share practical experiences and knowledge in sufficient depth to facilitate delivery of practical guidance.